South Journey Part 2

We then took the train to Mysore.

Before that, we made a stop at McDonald's. The menu here is more Indian. For example, there are many vegetarian options and egg burgers. Still, I'm not a fan. At McDonald's, the staff also approached us exchange students and we ended up on the McDonald's Instagram.

After a night train ride in third class, we arrived in Mysore. Mysore is one of the largest cities in South India. First, we checked into a hotel that also had a very nice pool.

After that, we visited the Mysore Palace.

This was completed in 1912 after the old palace, which was made of wood, burned down during a wedding. The new palace is a mix of European, Asian, and Arab styles. The palace is definitely worth a visit. You walk through the whole palace barefoot. Along the way, you can admire beautiful wall paintings. Since we were there on a Sunday, it was super crowded. It was very packed, but I can still highly recommend the Mysore Palace. Outside of the palace, souvenirs are sold on a negotiation basis. I enjoyed bargaining and bought a few mini elephants and fridge magnets. In Mysore, there was also a very modern church. Many large churches are being built in the south. I don't like these at all, as they look like they're made of Lego and lack any love for detail.

Here in the south, we exchange students are often greeted kindly and asked for a picture with us. You also see many foreign tourists here. I had a few conversations with Germans. Some are here on vacation, while others are helping with social projects.

The next day we drove with our bus to Coorg and made a stop at a zoo. There we could see birds and a few other animals. These were only there to make money off of them. You could take photos or feed them for money. The animals were also not treated according to their species. Seeing these animals like that made me a bit sad. After we arrived at the hotel, we took a little walk through the town. Since the area in the south is very hilly, the roads are very steep. You also often see stands selling dead chickens.

The next day we went to a river where we could feed and bathe elephants. Elephants are very important in southern India. The oxen are also very important for agriculture here. Almost always, the horns of the oxen are painted. The trucks are also always beautifully decorated.

Afterwards, we went to a market where I couldn't agree on a price with the coffee bean merchant (his price was actually very good). My strategy is always to let the merchant lower the price first and then start negotiating.

The next day we went on a safari in Nagarhole National Park. Since the national park is at 1000 meters elevation, the nature is very unique. There are deer, wild boars, peacocks, elephants, and tigers. The vegetation also reminds me of Northern Europe. During the safari, we sat in a jeep and could observe elephants from there. Seeing these animals in the wild was quite unique. The sight of a tiger was particularly impressive. In the national park, you could also see stars and Saturn. Stars are something you can hardly ever see in India.

Our accommodation was within the national park and very beautiful. At 200€ per night, it was also very expensive. After we left the luxurious accommodation, we continued further south.

The nature in southern India is very beautiful and with its hilly landscape, it is unique. The hilly region in South India is known for coffee cultivation.

We went through mountain roads and bad streets, which made the journey very tiring. At a stop, we had typical South Indian food. At the border to the next state, Kerala, we had to wait an hour until we were let through. Now we had arrived further south in Ooty.

Since this was a booked trip, there was always a buffet at the hotel in the morning and evening. There was always rice and flatbreads. There was also chicken in sauce and vegetarian dips.

In South India, there is a coconut chutney (white) and a small soup (orange) with most dishes.

It continues excitingly in the next part.